** FILE ** Rich "Goose" Gossage is shown in this July 11, 2004 file photo. Gossage was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday Jan. 8, 2008.

**FOR USE IN WEEKEND EDITIONS OF JULY 25-27** FILE ** In this Oct. 14, 1981 file photo, New York Yankees' Rich "Goose" Gossage hurls a pitch during the ninth inning in the American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium in New York. Gossage did more than just play in the major leagues. He became a dominant relief pitcher in a 22-year career that will receive its finishing touch on Sunday, July 27, 2008, when he is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

**FOR USE IN WEEKEND EDITIONS OF JULY 25-27** FILE ** In this Oct. 10, 1984 file photo, Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, left, gets a kiss from San Diego Padres ace relief pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage before a World Series baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in San Diego. Gossage did more than just play in the major leagues. He became a dominant relief pitcher in a 22-year career that will receive its finishing touch on Sunday, July 27, 2008, when he is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In this installment, Colorado native and Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage fires fastballs about the state of today’s game, striking out Rickey Henderson and his favorite Rockies players.

Keep an eye out for next week’s installment, CSU football coach Steve Fairchild. Suggest a subject and send Q’s in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com

Do you think today’s game has gotten soft? By that I mean, do you think pitchers have it too easy, and maybe players don’t play as hard?–Frank, Grand Junction

Goose Gossage: I do think the game has gotten pretty soft, pretty much all the way around. Guys don’t go into second base as hard as they used to, and if they do, somebody takes offense. And I think the league is protecting hitters. There is no more pitching inside, that has been taken away. It’s a part of the game that’s been taken away. The way I was taught was to pitch inside, and sometimes balls are going to get away by accident. But now, hitters take exception to that. You can’t even come close to doing that.

Also, pitch counts are not something I believe in. That’s probably one of the reasons I’m not coaching in the big leagues. Anyway, I like the game the way it was.

You have played baseball in a lot of places and lived in a lot of cities. Why do you still make Colorado your home? –Carol, Colorado Springs

GG: My family goes back here to the late 1800s. I’m a native, this is home. I love Colorado. I have had the privilege of playing in a lot of great cities, but this is home, and it always will be.

Both Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds have fewer total hits than Pete Rose. Do you feel it’s right that Pete Rose has been banned from the Hall of Fame for gambling but Bonds and McGwire are eligible despite alleged steroid use?–Joe, Greeley

GG: First of all, Pete Rose broke the cardinal sin of baseball — gambling on the game. It is the first rule you learn when you get into the game. We are told not to gamble on the game. We are told that first thing. I think Pete thought he was bigger than the game. I think that’s what he thought. But you have to understand that nothing will ruin the game faster than gambling. If you don’t have credibility with fans, you don’t have the game anymore.

As for Bonds and McGwire, I don’t believe they belong in the Hall of Fame. I mean, with steroid use, what kind of message do you think that’s sending to our kids? It’s cheating, first of all. But what about a kid who thinks he has to start taking that stuff to compete with other kids? What kind of pressure are they being put under? And as for Pete Rose, I don’t think he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Goose, congratulations on your long overdue but much deserved entry into the Hall of Fame. Who was the toughest batter you ever faced? Are there any hitters currently in the Hall of Fame that you were eager to battle? Guys that you just knew you could retire no matter what?–Dave, Denver

GG: I got to face a lot of great hitters who were on the way out. Guys like (Hank) Aaron, Tony Oliva, and (Harmon) Killebrew. But the greatest hitter I faced, hands down, no question, was George Brett.

As for the other question, it was Rickey Henderson. I really pretty much had my way with him. We get along fine now, but I thought he was a hot dog at the time he was playing. I didn’t like that, I didn’t like his showboating. So I pretty much struck him out every time.

(Editor’s note: Henderson had 11 plate appearances vs. Gossage, with nine at-bats. Henderson had no hits, two walks and struck out nine times.)

Hi Goose, two questions. 1) Which batters are you the most proud and excited about striking out? 2) When things got tense out on the mound, did you have a mantra or superstition to calm your mind?–Nancy, Englewood

GG: I got a lot of big strikeouts because I came into many inherited situations with runners on base. I came into situations that God couldn’t even get out of, and I got strikeouts. But the biggest out I ever got was not a strikeout, it was a pop-up that ended the 1978 playoff game at Fenway Park.

We (the Yankees) were tied with the Red Sox and had to have a one-game playoff. I faced “Yaz” (Carl Yastrzemski) and got him to pop out to end the game. We went on to beat the Royals in the playoffs and then beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

But getting out Yaz at Fenway was big. If there is one ballpark you don’t want to play a one-game playoff, it’s Fenway with the Green Monster. I will always remember that.

(Editor’s note: Gossage got Yastrzemski to pop out with two on and two out as the Yankees won 5-4.)

As for superstitions, no I didn’t have any. Any time a superstitious thing started to creep into my mind, I would go the opposite way. Some guys don’t ever want to step on the white line. I used to wipe it out. I saw too many guys become slaves to superstitions. I didn’t want anything to do with that, so I would go the opposite way.

Goose, do you have an opinion on rosters for the teams nowadays. Should they be expanded by one or two more players? My thought is if they expanded the rosters to say 27 players this would allow for more teams to keep on more pitchers.–Karl, Denver

GG: I don’t think the rosters should be expanded because I think it would take a lot of the strategy out of the game. I think mixing and matching pitchers is the most important and hardest job for a manager, but I like the strategy. And it’s an important part of the game I don’t want to see changed.

Also, I think one thing they ought to take away is the DH (designated hitter). I’m not a DH fan. I think it’s ridiculous and it takes a lot of strategy out of the game.

You spent spring training with the Yankees this season. There was a lot of drama over whether Joba Chamberlain should pitch out of the bullpen, or earn a starting spot. Where do you think he belongs?–Ryan, Boulder

GG: I always thought Joba should be in the bullpen. With his makeup and his intensity, he belongs in the bullpen. I didn’t think he had that same level of intensity as a starter. I remember one season, it was 1976, they made me a starter. I had already made my mark as a relief pitcher, but we were short of arms. I was never so happy to get back in the bullpen. I fell in love with going to the ballpark every day, with the idea of getting a chance to be an important part of every game. When you only pitch every five days, I think it gets boring. Anyway, I think Joba is where he belongs, setting up Marino Rivera.

Hey Goose, I worked with your son, Todd, and my cousin, Tyson Kincaid, when they were playing on a 13-14 all-star team. I doubt you remember me, but I was just wondering how Todd is doing in his baseball career.–Aaron, Arlington, Texas

GG: Aaron, good to hear from you, and thanks for asking. Todd played at Seward Community College in Liberal, Kan. And then he played two years at Central Arkansas. He suffered a terrible eye injury, but he’s recovered from that. He played independent ball for a couple of years. Last year, he played in the White Sox organization. He was released by the White Sox during spring training this year, so now he’s planning on playing independent baseball in Sussex, N.J. He’s having a great time.

Hello Goose, I live in Parker and I am a freshman at Chaparral High. I was wondering what was it like for you getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?–Eric, Parker

GG: The Hall of Fame is the ultimate award that is something that I still can’t comprehend. I’m very humbled by it. I thought it was something that would sink in, but it still hasn’t. I still think somebody is going to pinch me and I’ll wake up, but that still hasn’t happened.

When I first got into the league, I remember meeting Hall of Famers and thinking, ‘What must that be like?’ Just to be considered a Hall of Famer is an honor.

Is (Rockies outfielder) Carlos Gonzalez as good as he played in the playoffs last year? He seemed to come out of nowhere (I know he was thought of as a good prospect years ago, but…), and looked like an absolute superstar — especially considering he was on the big stage.David, Colorado

GG: When you are a younger player, sometimes you can kind of sneak in under the radar. There really are no expectations. It’s a big difference when you have to do it all the time. He’s certainly a talented player, but the name of the game is consistency, doing it day in and day out, season after season.

Hi Goose, other then the big money, of course, what is the one thing about the game today that is better then your day? Conversely, what was the one thing better in your day then today?–David, Colorado Springs

GG: There aren’t very many things I like better in today’s game. But I will say that I think there are a lot of new ballparks I enjoy today, even though they are more hitter-friendly. So I love the new stadiums, but I do miss some of the old ballparks. I miss the old Tiger Stadium. I don’t miss the “Mistake by the Lake” — the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. And I sure don’t miss the old multi-purpose, cookie-cutter stadiums like Riverfront or Three Rivers or that old park in Philly.

There were so many things that were better when I played. The game was so much more innocent then, when it wasn’t all about money. I would say the innocence of the game is no longer there. I think we had a whole lot more fun playing the game as a team. We would have paid to play the game. I don’t like a lot of changes in the game. I think baseball’s powers wanted more offense in the game, so they designed it that way. So the new numbers don’t mean what the old numbers meant. Joining the 500 home run club doesn’t mean the same thing it used to. Maybe we need to change the line, where 600 homers is now the benchmark that 500 used to be.

Do you watch the Rockies? Who are your favorites on the team?–Cooper, Denver

GG: I watch the Rockies all the time. I love Tulo (Troy Tulowitzki) and I have always loved watching Todd (Helton) play. Todd is the consummate professional. They are both hard-nosed guys who play the game right. They could have played in any era. I mean, you look at Tulo. If somebody tries to take him out with a hard slide at second he just gets up and keeps playing. He is so much fun to watch.

Colorado Springs’ Goose Gossage was born there in 1951 and lives there in retirement. He played 21 seasons for nine teams. His best years were with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. In the late 1970s and early ’80s, he was one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

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